Year End Women's ITF - Solapur/Pune/Navi Mumbai

[Dinesh]

As usual, we are continuing to host the year-end stretch of women's $25K tournaments this year too. First stop is at Solapur and the entry list is pretty strong with only 2 of our players making the MD cut.

Solapur:

1 Valeria SAVINYKH (RUS) 180 19 1
2 Jia-Jing LU (CHN) 183 1
3 Ankita RAINA (IND) 185 1 1
4 Nuria PARRIZAS-DIAZ (ESP) 215 9 1
5 Yue YUAN (CHN) 228 1
6 Shuyue MA (CHN) 231 21 1
7 Ulrikke EIKERI (NOR) 241 1 1
8 Diana MARCINKEVICA (LAT) 243 3 1
9 Paula ORMAECHEA (ARG) 251 1 1
10 Urszula RADWANSKA (POL) 257 1
11 Despina PAPAMICHAIL (GRE) 261 130 3 1
12 Chihiro MURAMATSU (JPN) 264 8 1
13 Naiktha BAINS (GBR) 291 1
14 Nudnida LUANGNAM (THA) 340 40 10 1
15 Katie BOULTER (GBR) 351 1
16 Valeriya STRAKHOVA (UKR) 366 916= 11 1
17 Sandra SAMIR (EGY) 368 2 1
18 Riya BHATIA (IND) 381 5 1

[Dinesh]

Some former top-100 names up there - Paula Ormachea, Ula Radwanska, and Katie Boulter. I am excited to see Naiktha Bains entering here, too. This will be her 2nd time playing in India. Ankita/Naiktha or Rutuja/Naiktha would make a successful pairing. Hopefully, Karman, Rutuja, Mahak will earn MD wildcards. Pranjala will be returning to action after a 7-month injury layoff.

[sameerph]

Karman pulled out from next week at Solapur. Hope it is only a precautionary withdrawal as she is still in the entry list the week after at Pune. Probably does not want to play 3 straight weeks coming back after injury.

There are a few more withdrawals at the top for Solapur though and apart from Ankita and Riya, Rutuja also gets in.

[Daniel]

Ankita, Riya, Rutuja, Sowjanya, and Mahak have all pulled out of Pune. Last year, too, most of our top players had skipped some of these events.

It's ridiculous to have NOTHING throughout the year and then cram 5 events into 6 weeks at a time when most players have wound up their seasons.

[jaydeep]

More surprised by withdrawals of Rutuja from her home tournament and also Ankita's from her second home.

[jayakris]

Stupid timing to host these events. Just incompetence by AITA and everybody else, to be wasting money (much of it from sponsors, I assume), that can be used earlier in the year much more productively. Can't really blame our players, except he ones who haven't been playing a lot. This is the break time for players around the world, and a minimum 4-5 weeks break is needed for everybody every year to rehab dinged up bodies and to do some physical training. Just terrible that many in Indian tennis do not pay attention to it. There is a reason why nobody is holding events around the world and it is not all due to cold weather. It is because people aren't stupid around the world. I feel bad for the tennis enthusiasts at these cities and clubs who run around to organize such events. I am sure they are being sold lies that the entry lists will be strong and all that. Usually, it is due to bad planning by people who needs to secure the event slots from ITF early enough for other time periods (and their excuse may be that local sponsorship never gets guaranteed till very late in India, which is true) - and then they are left with only the period that nobody else in the world wants.

Jay

[PKBasu]

The utter incompetence of our tennis establishment is just infuriating

[sameerph]

Usually, it is due to bad planning by people who needs to secure the event slots from ITF early enough for other time periods (and their excuse may be that local sponsorship never gets guaranteed till very late in India, which is true) - and then they are left with only the period that nobody else in the world wants.

I do not know if that can be issue in these year tournament series in Maharashtra. I think this series is organised consistently for last 7-8 years or so at this time. So, the sponsorship part looks pretty guaranteed and settled here. Then, why not have these in say October, or if they want to have it in winter in India, say in February when there are hardly any tournaments in Asia and so the entry lists will be as good these ones.

Having said that, it is a bit surprising that so many of our players have withdrawn, Generally our best players have played these events every year and taken an annual break in Jan-Feb when there are very few tournaments to play. So, that is an option with players too.

[jayakris]

You are right, sameer. My comments may not apply to these events which are always around this time. Just a bad time, anyway. I agree that February would be terrific. But a lot of what happens in India does not fit regular logic, anyway! We have our own ways of doing things, I guess...

[Daniel]

I wonder if the ITF makes them schedule these events at this time to ensure that there are events available (since most other countries have more severe winters)?

[jayakris]

I wonder if the ITF makes them schedule these events at this time to ensure that there are events available (since most other countries have more severe winters)?

I don't think ITF has the clout to make the organizers do anything like that, unlike ATP with their tour events. As for the weather issue, all of south america, australia, new zealand and southern africa stay away from conducting events at that time - and they can all do it. Same with Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, HKG etc. Only India, Tunisia, Greece, Egypt and Turkey do it in the three weeks up to Christmas. Just bad dates for the players, but we don't seem to consider that. But then again, the players also need to make use of whatever they can get, and some of them staying away only indicates their lack of focus in doing whatever it takes to take their careers forward. So, just blaming AITA or the organizers is not fair either.

[sameerph]

These are the qualifying results at Solapur 25K-

Round 1
Vlada KATIC (ISR) [1] BYE
Prathiba NARAYAN PRASAD (IND) 6-3 6-2 Avika SAGWAL (IND) [11]
Mahak JAIN (IND) [2] BYE
Humera Begum SHAIK (IND) [10] 6-2 7-6(3) Arthi MUNIYAN (IND)
Freya CHRISTIE (GBR) [3] BYE
Pareen SHIVEKAR (IND) 6-3 3-0 Retired Niditra RAJMOHAN (IND) [15]
Evgeniya BURDINA (RUS) [4] BYE
Ramya NATARAJAN (IND) [9] 6-1 6-3 Lakshmi Sahithi Reddy VUTUKURU (IND)
Zeel DESAI (IND) [5] BYE
Vaidehi CHAUDHARI (IND) [12] 6-0 6-1 Pragati SOLANKAR (IND)
Steffi CARRUTHERS (SAM) [6] BYE
POOJA INGALE (IND) 6-3 6-7(8) [12-10] Shreya TATAVARTHY (IND) [16]
Jennifer LUIKHAM (IND) [7] BYE
Deeksha MANJU PRASAD (IND) [14] 6-2 6-2 Richa DADASAHEB CHOUGULE (IND)
Punnin KOVAPITUKTED (THA) [8] 6-4 6-2 Shrivalli Rashmikaa BHAMIDIPATY (IND)
Soha SADIQ (IND) [13] 6-1 6-0 Kiara DSOUZA (IND)

Round 2
Vlada KATIC (ISR) [1] 6-2 6-1 Prathiba NARAYAN PRASAD (IND)
Mahak JAIN (IND) [2] 6-4 6-1 Humera Begum SHAIK (IND) [10]
Freya CHRISTIE (GBR) [3] 6-1 6-4 Pareen SHIVEKAR (IND)
Ramya NATARAJAN (IND) [9] 7-6(3) 6-3 Evgeniya BURDINA (RUS) [4]
Vaidehi CHAUDHARI (IND) [12] 6-4 5-7 [10-2] Zeel DESAI (IND) [5]
Steffi CARRUTHERS (SAM) [6] 6-1 6-1 POOJA INGALE (IND)
Jennifer LUIKHAM (IND) [7] 7-6(5) 6-4 Deeksha MANJU PRASAD (IND) [14]
Soha SADIQ (IND) [13] 3-6 6-4 [11-9] Punnin KOVAPITUKTED (THA) [8]

So, couple of good upset wins by Indians- Ramya Natarajan and Soha Sadiq and also an upse win by Vaidehi over Zeel Desai. Zeel's performances seem to have regressed of late.

5 Indians qualify thru to join 7 others who are in main draw as direct entrants and wild cards making it 12 Indians in the main draw.

[sameerph]

These are the first round match-ups for Indians-

[R1] (Q) Mahak JAIN (IND,613) vs. Berfu CENGIZ (TUR,447)
[R1] (WC) Mihika YADAV (IND,1011) vs. Daria MISHINA (RUS,409)
[R1] (WC) Pranjala YADLAPALLI (IND,642) vs. (3) Yue YUAN (CHN,229)
[R1] (Q) Jennifer LUIKHAM (IND,988) vs. Anna MORGINA (RUS,470)
[R1] (Q) Vaidehi CHAUDHARI (IND,NR) vs. (Q) Steffi CARRUTHERS (SAM,980)
[R1] (Q) Ramya NATARAJAN (IND,1172) vs. (5) Naiktha BAINS (GBR,246)
[R1] Rutuja BHOSALE (IND,416) vs. Katie BOULTER (GBR,341)
[R1] (Q) Soha SADIQ (IND,NR) vs. (Q) Freya CHRISTIE (GBR,622)
[R1] Akanksha Dileep NITTURE (IND,NR) vs. (4) Ulrikke EIKERI (NOR,243)
[R1] Riya BHATIA (IND,386) vs. (WC) Saumya VIG (IND,1273)
[R1] (2) Ankita RAINA (IND,188) vs. Valeriya STRAKHOVA (UKR,366)

[PKBasu]

Very tough draw for all the Indians apart from Ankita and Riya.

[sameerph]

Yes, but at least apart from Ankita and Riya couple more Indians won their first round matches.

[R1] (Q) Mahak JAIN (IND,613) l. Berfu CENGIZ (TUR,447) 36 26
[R1] (WC) Mihika YADAV (IND,1011) l. Daria MISHINA (RUS,409) 36 57
[R1] (WC) Pranjala YADLAPALLI (IND,642) l. (3) Yue YUAN (CHN,229) 46 46
[R1] (Q) Jennifer LUIKHAM (IND,988) d. Anna MORGINA (RUS,470) 64 61
[R1] (Q) Vaidehi CHAUDHARI (IND,NR) d. (Q) Steffi CARRUTHERS (SAM,980) 64 62
[R1] (Q) Ramya NATARAJAN (IND,1172) l. (5) Naiktha BAINS (GBR,246) 06 46
[R1] Rutuja BHOSALE (IND,416) l. Katie BOULTER (GBR,341) 46 16
[R1] (Q) Soha SADIQ (IND,NR) l. (Q) Freya CHRISTIE (GBR,622) 76(5) 16 26
[R1] Akanksha Dileep NITTURE (IND,NR) l. (4) Ulrikke EIKERI (NOR,243) 06 06
[R1] Riya BHATIA (IND,386) d. (WC) Saumya VIG (IND,1273) 63 60
[R1] (2) Ankita RAINA (IND,188) d. Valeriya STRAKHOVA (UKR,366) 63 60

Good wins by youngsters Jeniffer and Vaidehi.

Next,

[R2] (Q) Jennifer LUIKHAM (IND,988) vs. (3) Yue YUAN (CHN,229)
[R2] (Q) Vaidehi CHAUDHARI (IND,NR) vs. (5) Naiktha BAINS (GBR,246)
[R2] (2) Ankita RAINA (IND,188) vs. Riya BHATIA (IND,386)